RCN congress 2023: pay and the cost of living top of the agenda

Nurses’ working conditions, service pressures and mental well-being all topics to be debated at this year’s gathering of RCN members in Brighton

Nurses will descend on Brighton this week to discuss the most pressing issues for the profession at the RCN’s annual congress.

College members will gather from 15-18 May for debates designed to influence nursing and healthcare policy.

The event – one of the biggest in the nursing calendar – starts today with a discussion on the lessons learned from the RCN’s fair pay for nursing campaign.

Pay, working conditions and the cost of living form a large part of the week’s agenda, but other issues including ‘corridor care’, nurses’ mental health, support for nursing students and the impact of rudeness at work will also be addressed.

How congress debates work

There are two classes of debate, and both kinds are scheduled to last about half an hour:

• Resolution Members vote on a motion and a majority vote directs the future work of the RCN. Each college branch and forum is allocated a number of votes according to its size.

• Matter for discussion Members debate a motion and share views, but there is no vote.

• Emergency agenda items These can be submitted at any point up to and during the congress, and reflect the most pressing professional or political issues as they happen.

Alongside the serious business, many nurses will doubtless be looking forward to catching up with colleagues from across the UK. And maybe they’ll even get to enjoy a bit of sun by the sea.

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